Portland, OR Restaurant Review: Por Qué No Taqueria

Dude I love tacos. I should seriously just end the review right there. Dude. I. Love. Tacos. So many of my food desires are sated with these tiny little handfuls of heaven. Stewed, grilled or fried meat or fish. Fresh salsas typically containing onions and cilantro. Small bites and portions. Zest and punch. Throw in a kick sometimes with a pepper. Spicy spicy spicy. Are you with me here? And a meal to knock your socks off when it works, typically for around five bucks. Who can top that? So when tacos are good, I want to get LOUD about it. Loudness. Taco mouth. That’s what it should be called. A reactionary state in which the afflicted goes outside of wherever they currently are, into the public realm, and screams at or near the top of their lungs with joy, in no uncertain terms. It doesn’t matter what they scream, just that they are within visual proximity of the taco restaurant or truck or stand, so that others witnessing their outburst will know that they have been struck with Taco Mouth. That is all.

So Por Qué No?, people. I’m talking seriously good, no nonsense taco heaven here. Not any kind of frilly restaurant experience but my good god are these tacos rockin’ delish.

Por Qué No Taqueria: Breaking Down the Menu and Ambiance
According to the Por Que No website, the owners of the restaurant “strive to support our local economy, whether it means using line caught fish and local meats or remodeling with recycled materials.” Balancing sustainability and environmental concerns against the rigors of running a restaurant is difficult, I am sure, but worthwhile in terms of effort. As I’ve said before, I don’t care about bad food and good politics. But the tacos and salsas at Por Que No are pretty downright delicious, so the added bonus of some elevated eco-consciousness is a nice touch.

When you approach the restaurant in the high 40s blocks of SE Hawthorne, you’re most likely gonna’ see a bustling, jam-packed line of people extending well out the door and along the sidewalk. This is only going to be worse on sunny days and during happy hour, or on Tuesdays when there are serious taco specials. But I think that all in all, they do a pretty good job of getting customers through the line and into their seats, and the meals are pretty easy to eat in terms of their size, so there’s generally a quick turnover with tables. So you start by waiting and wading through the line, and after about ten or fifteen minutes, you make it to the counter. Be ready to order and help yourself and everyone behind you out with your preparedness.

Definitely take advantage of the happy hour pricing for the margaritas, which are pretty good and do come served in a pint glass. I’m not into fruit flavored margaritas, but they did look pretty grand (including Pomegranate!). The large margaritas are going to set you back nearly nine bucks ($8.50 regularly, or $7 during happy hour), so eating cheap tacos can quickly escalate to a fifty dollar meal between two diners who have a couple of drinks and a few rounds of tacos. Speaking of which… let’s get to the food!

All of the Por Qué No tacos are served on their fresh housemade corn tortillas, which makes a huge difference in taste. Further adding fuel to this delicious fire is the happy hour price structure, where all tacos are $.50 off daily from 3-6pm, and then Tuesdays from 3pm to close. This of course excludes to-go orders, sadly, as the restaurant gets beyond busy, and seating is a premium.

Now. I started with just a pair of tacos, for a couple of reasons. One, I like my food hot. Two, I eat way too fast, especially when the food is hot and tasty, so I try to slow myself down this way. But most importantly, the ingenious owners have developed a priority ordering system, wherein if you have already ordered your food and sat down to eat, and then you decide you’re not full and want more, you get to go right up to the front of your very own line, without having to get back into the line that probably ends somewhere out front on the sidewalk. That would just be depressing. Similarly, there is a to-go order line where if you call in your order, you just march into the restaurant and walk right up, pay and get out of the way. Great ideas make for well-run restaurants. Details like this, in my mind, can go such a long way that they end up nearly as important as the food itself. After all, what good is great food if it takes you hours to get to it?

I started with the Carnitas taco ($2.75), which is billed on the menu as: Crisp and juicy braised Carlton Farms pork served with salsa verde, onions, cilantro & queso fresco from Ochoa Cheese in Eugene. It was delightful. If I were born with eight hands, there would soon after be a carnitas taco in each one. The other taco I paired with it on my first round was the Carne Asada taco ($3.00), which features Cascade Natural chopped steak, served traditional-style with salsa roja, cilantro and grilled onion. Also an excellent option, highly recommended.

This was nowhere near enough food for me, no way. So I went back for more. I had to have another carnitas, but opted this round to pair it up with the Pescado (fish taco $3.50), which came with Cornmeal encrusted Alaskan Cod served with crema, cabbage, salsa verde, onion, cilantro & pineapple. My oh my. I came from southern California, I’ve eaten plenty of Baja fried fish tacos, I get it. This was a new experience all together, and one that I cannot recommend enough. You must try the fish taco if you like fish tacos even the littlest bit. I also had a side of vegetarian beans, Frijoles topped with queso (side of beans, vegetarian), which was tasty if not small-ish ($2.00).

My only criticism of the place is actually also a compliment to the owners. I think it’s a total racket. There. I said it. Let me explain. If you’re gonna’ run a restaurant, how great is it to have your customers wait in a line, then seat themselves competitively, vying against a ton of other patrons, then fetch their own silverware, napkins and salsas, then have their food dropped off by runners, not waiters, then essentially return to the counter to order more if they so desire, then bus their own tables and leave. I mean, it’s perfect. As the owners, you spend your time and energy making great food, and your customers do the rest. So while it’s not really a knock, I do feel compelled to point it out. Just a bit more in the way of friendly service would only make the already pleasurable experience a true show stopper. And if you’re going for the dining experience, don’t get fooled by how much it looks like a restaurant, because you won’t find the normal details of a restaurant — it’s more like a beach taco stand with walls. If you know this beforehand, I think you’ll stand to have an even better time at Por Qué No, without any unrealistic expectations.

Por Qué No Tacos, SE Portland Pictures

Portland, OR Restaurant Details: Por Qué No Taqueria
Por Qué No Tacos
4635 SE Hawthorne Blvd (on the north side of Hawthorne between at SE 47th Ave)
Portland, OR 97215-3168
Southeast
(503) 954-3138
Hours: Open 7 days a week: 11 am – 10pm and Sundays 11am – 9:30pm

Portland, OR Restaurant Map: Por Qué No Tacos on Hawthorne
Click here for a map of the area: Por Qué No Tacos, SE Portland

The official Por Qué No Tacos website (Click)
Por Qué No Tacos Facebook Page (Click)
Por Qué No Tacos Review on YELP: Portland (Click)
Por Qué No Tacos Blog (Click)
Por Qué No Tacos Facebook Page (Click)

Por Qué No? Taqueria on SE Hawthorne Blvd. at SE 47th Ave, 3.3 out of 10 based on 3 ratings

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